On Sat, Oct 9, 2010 at 11:33 AM, Bill Campbell centos@celestial.com wrote:
On the other hand, when she wanted to do things with digital photos from here camera, she constantly had problems dealing with file transfers using a USB flash card reader, mostly properly unmounting and/or finding the proper data (she has a Psy.D. so is hardly a dummy). I suggested she get a Macbook when she needed a laptop, and I get far fewer calls for assistance on this than on the Linux box, and will probably replace the Linux system with an iMac when the Linux hardware goes south.
Fun thread.
I'm a software developer with decent Linux chops going back 15 years or so. After leaving Windows, I used Linux as my main workstation for a couple of years before switching to OSX. It is simply a no-brainer. Almost everything on OSX just works, all the time, and when it doesn't, it's pretty easy to fix. Contrast that to Linux where my complex X config (multiple graphics drivers and big monitors) broke every time I did a distro upgrade, plus all the other random hardware crap that halfway worked or never worked, even after spending hours on it. I have to hack on things all day for my job, I want my tools - i.e. my workstation and OS - to Just Work. I COULD fix most stuff, but why stick myself in the eye with a fork if I don't have to? OSX has all the power of *nix, and none of the hassles; and decades of UI experience and focus from Apple make for an extremely usable and stable GUI.
Linux on servers is a no brainer, Linux on the desktop is only appropriate if you (or the geek who supports your desktop) loves to hack on Desktop Linux.
I will admit things are getting better all the time, and some pre-built linux desktops and laptops are pretty sweet, but still not as slick (and stable over long-term upgrades) as OSX.
Thanks, -- Chad